Why Do I Feel The Urge To Jump Off A Ledge?

We were over a cliff at the Sinquerim beach in Goa, and I wanted to jump off for no apparent reason. Why? Where did this irrational yet downright suicidal thought come from? I thought I'll do some research and find out. 

And that's when I read about the High Place Phenomenon. 

Jennifer Hames, a researcher at Florida State University, stumbled upon this idea while conversing with her teammates and realized that some of them, including her, had experienced this sudden urge to jump off high places. They thought, "what a great study!" 

So the research went on this way. A group of 431 undergraduate students was surveyed based on their urge to jump off from high places, and also a detailed study of their mental health, anxiety issues, and their response to fear were measured. 

The findings were surprisingly unexpected. The researchers found out that about one-third of the sample had experienced this phenomenon, and nearly half of them hadn't even ever considered suicide. So what was happening here?

The urge to jump off a cliff or ram into upcoming traffic, think those disgusting things are closer than they appear to be, an urge to pull a lever that says do not pull - these feelings emerge from a distortion of our perceptions. 

The speculation, as per researchers, goes like this - You're walking over a ledge and suddenly realize you are in danger and step back as a survival instinct. Now that your brain knows you're safe and look back at the ridge, you realize it was sturdy all the while and then think to yourself, why did I back off? Maybe I wanted to leap.

This misinterpretation of signals is what High Places Phenomenon is all about. 

So why does this happen?

People who are oversensitive to symptoms of anxiety or mood disorders often misinterpret brain signals. They are usually the ones who are most likely to feel their body overreacting to an alarming situation. 

In other words, you aren't suicidal, or this isn't a death wish. People who experience a High Place Phenomenon are only sensitive to their internal cues, affirming their will to live. 

Goa - Sinquerim Beach

November '18